Item number: A3986

Reference number: DCD#82-2

Year: AD 1034-1038

Material: Bronze

Size: 25.2 x 25.1 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 3.9 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is the Jingyou Yuanbao (景祐元寶), minted during the third regnal era of Emperor Renzong (宋仁宗), the fourth sovereign of the Northern Song (北宋) dynasty. Throughout his forty-one-year reign (AD 1022–1063), Zhao Zhen (趙禎) utilised a total of nine distinct era names.

The numismatic form follows the traditional tradition of the Sinospheric cultural circle, characterized by a circular shape with a central square perforation. The obverse inscriptions feature the four characters Jingyou Yuanbao (景祐元寶) in seal script, intended to be read in a clockwise circumscription starting from the top. The central perforation is relatively narrow, with residual copper remnants along the edges that have not been properly filed or polished. The reverse is plain, devoid of any decorative motifs or inscriptions.

Emperor Renzong (AD 1022–1063), the fourth ruler of the Northern Song, presided over a period of national stability and relative social prosperity, historically referred to as the “Great Governance of Renzong” (仁宗盛治). Politically, he championed civilian rule and employed eminent officials such as Fan Zhongyan (范仲淹), Bao Zheng (包拯), Han Qi (韓琦), and Ouyang Xiu (歐陽修) to advance imperial examinations and institutional reforms. Although frequently met with opposition from conservative factions, these efforts laid the foundation for the subsequent Xining Reforms. Characterised by a benevolent and magnanimous temperament, Renzong was known for his leniency towards subordinates and his receptivity to remonstrance; despite occasional factional strife, the overall political landscape remained stable. During his tenure, he personally adjudicated numerous judicial errors and promoted Confucianism and frugality. Diplomatically, he maintained peace treaties with the Liao (遼) and Western Xia (西夏), opting to secure border stability through annual payments (歲幣) rather than large-scale warfare, thereby establishing the stable geopolitical equilibrium of the mid-Northern Song.

The monetary system of the Song dynasties was highly complex, employing both copper and iron as formal currencies alongside the circulation of paper money. Silver also gradually assumed a position of significance. Copper coins varied in denomination from the basic cash (zheyi 折一) to ten-cash (zheshe 折十) pieces. Various circuits (路) minted coinage according to local demand, with some utilizing exclusively copper or iron, while others employed both. Calligraphic styles were diverse, encompassing regular, clerical (lishu 隸書), seal (zhuanshu 篆書), and Slender Gold (shoujinti 瘦金體) scripts. The simultaneous issuance of multiple calligraphic variants began with the Chunhua Yuanbao (淳化元寶) under Emperor Taizong, while the introduction of “matched coins” (duiqian 對錢)—series of coins with identical dimensions but different calligraphic scripts—likely originated with the Tiansheng Yuanbao (天聖元寶) during Renzong’s reign.

物件編號: A3986

參考書目編號: DCD#82-2

年代: 公元 1034-1038 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 25.2 x 25.1 x 1.1 mm

重量: 3.9 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是北宋的第四位皇帝宋仁宗，以其使用的第三個年號鑄造的「景祐元寶」。宋仁宗趙禎在位的41年間，先後使用過九個年號。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。錢面錢文為篆書「景祐元寶」，四字自上而右旋讀。錢穿較窄，邊緣有殘餘流銅未磨鑢。背面光素，沒有任何圖案或文字。

宋仁宗趙禎，公元1022–1063年在位，為北宋第四位皇帝。仁宗統治時期國力穩定，社會相對繁榮，史稱「仁宗盛治」。政治上，他推崇文治，重用范仲淹、包拯、韓琦、歐陽修等名臣，推動科舉與制度改革，雖屢遭保守勢力反對，但為後世熙寧變法奠定基礎。仁宗性格寬厚仁慈，對臣下多寬容，善於納諫，儘管治下黨爭時起，但整體政局安定。他任內多次親自裁決冤獄，並提倡儒學與節儉。在外交上，最終決定與遼、西夏維持和議，避免大規模戰爭，透過歲幣換取邊境和平，形成北宋中期的穩定局面。

兩宋幣制複雜，正式行用的幣材便有銅鐵兩種，配合紙幣相權。白銀則逐漸佔有重要地位。銅幣面額折一至折十不等。各路依需求各自鑄錢，有些只用銅錢，有些只用鐵錢，有些銅鐵兼用。字體則楷書、隸書、篆書、瘦金體等不一而足。首度同時發行多書體錢幣，自太宗淳化元寶始，而首度發行對錢，即形制相仿但書體不同的系列錢幣，大概自仁宗天聖元寶始。